Clubbed talontail facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Clubbed talontail |
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| Male | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Infraorder: | Anisoptera |
| Family: | Gomphidae |
| Genus: | Crenigomphus |
| Species: |
C. hartmanni
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| Binomial name | |
| Crenigomphus hartmanni (Förster, 1898)
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The Crenigomphus hartmanni, also known as the clubbed talontail, is a type of dragonfly. It belongs to the Gomphidae family, which are often called clubtails because of their unique tail shapes.
Contents
Where It Lives
This special dragonfly is found in many parts of Africa. You can spot it in countries like Angola, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It might also live in Burundi.
Its Status
The clubbed talontail dragonfly is listed as "Least concern". This means that, for now, there are enough of them around. They are not currently in danger of disappearing.
Its Home
Clubbed talontails like to live in warm, wet places. Their natural habitats include:
- Warm, wet forests in low areas.
- Grassy plains, both dry and moist, known as savannas.
- Areas with shrubland (bushes and small trees), which can also be dry or moist.
- They are often found near rivers and freshwater lakes.
- They also live in freshwater marshes (swamps).
- Sometimes, they live near rivers, lakes, or marshes that dry up for part of the year.
How to Spot It
The clubbed talontail dragonfly has some unique features that help you identify it.
Body Features
- Tail Shape: The end of its body, called the abdomen, looks like a club. This is because the last few segments are swollen.
- Claspers: Male dragonflies have special parts at the end of their abdomen called claspers. These are used for holding onto the female during mating. For the clubbed talontail, the very tip of its upper clasper is shaped like a talon, which is a bird's claw.
- Foliations: On the sides of its eighth and ninth abdomen segments, there are small, club-shaped growths. These also add to the "clubbed" look of its tail.
Color and Markings
- Eyes: Its eyes are a beautiful turquoise color on top and light grey underneath.
- Body: The main part of its body, the thorax (where the wings are attached), is mostly yellowish-green. It has faint, narrow brown stripes.
- Abdomen: The abdomen is yellow and brown. Each segment has a brown patch where it joins the next.
- Appendages: The upper parts at the very end of its tail are yellow, thick, and curve downwards. They are only a little bit longer than the lower parts.
Wings
- Color: Its wings have a slightly smoky look.
- Costa: The front edge of the wing, called the costa, is yellow.
- Pterostigmata: These are small, dark spots near the tip of each wing. On the clubbed talontail, they are black, long, and narrow.
Gallery
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Male rear side view
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Male side view
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Male front view
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Detail of male abdomen
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Clubbed talontail female
 | Calvin Brent |
 | Walter T. Bailey |
 | Martha Cassell Thompson |
 | Alberta Jeannette Cassell |
